Thursday, April 12, 2007

So it goes

Kurt Vonnegut died last night at the age of 84. I find it hard to believe he was only 84. He had an office in a building I used to work in, and I used to see him every once in a while in the lobby or elevator. This was at least 10 or 12 years ago, and he looked 94 then.

He led a fascinating life, and was another example of the widely held theory that insanity is closely linked to creative talent. (Any of the creatives I work with who are actually reading this are now wondering what I meant by that. "Is she saying I'm crazy or is she saying I'm a hack? Which is worse?" For the record, I think being normal is entirely overrated.)


The obit from the Times:

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 12, 2007 at 1:21 PM

    JAV,

    I took a seminar writing class from Vonnegut about 10 years ago-- he was amazingly pragmatic and direct.

    His best advice: don't write anything universal or general. Instead,make it specific and local and detailed -- everyone can generalize it in their own way.

    I saw in in NYC about a year ago (he didn't say Hi -- imagine that), and he looked just like he did 10 years before (which is to say, quite bad).

    SJS

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  2. JAVApril 12, 2007 at 1:31 PM

    SJS -

    You are both insane and a good writer, so this makes sense. (Aren't you also left-handed? Along with insanity, another indicator of creativity.)

    What an amazing experience that must have been.

    Are you enjoying that Kiplinger's? Say hi if you run into Joon.

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